IDENTIFICATION OF SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE HEAD AND NECK BY TISSUE CULTURE AND IMMUNOLOGICAL TESTING

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Abstract
We outline the techniques used to successfully grow squamous cell carcinoma in tissue culture, and to test the cellular immunity of the patient by lymphocyte cytotoxicity studies. Lymphocytes cultured with malignant squamous cells killed from 40 to 60 percent of the tumor cells during 48 hours of incubation. These same lymphocytes did not show any killing potential against cultured melanoma cells or against cultured fibroblasts. This demonstrates an immune response that is tumor-antigen specific. There was no evidence of any serum-blocking factor, because the killing potential of these lymphocytes was not significantly altered by the addition of the patients' sera. The implications and potential for early diagnosis made possible by these techniques are discussed.

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